Our 2026 reading goals - and tips to achieve your own!
We love reading, but we also know that reading goals can be a divisive topic. If you’ve been over on booktok or bookstagram lately, you’ve surely seen plenty of comments from people up in arms about the number of books someone else reads.
We think all reading goals are good goals – we listen and we don’t judge. In the spirit of camaraderie, we asked our team what their 2026 reading goals are and some tips on how to set and achieve your own goals. Whether you’re looking to read more, find more joy through reading, or explore diverse genres, we hope to help set you up for success.
Team Old Town Books’ 2026 goals
“My goal is to read SO much more poetry. I love it but got out of the habit of reading it - I'm ready to dive back in. I'm also making a concerted effort to read from smaller and independent presses this year. It’s so easy for me to get my TBR full of books from the big 5, it's easy to almost forget there's a whole other world of publishers!
“I've never been much of a record-keeper in terms of tracking my reading. I'd like to change that this year, and have devised a lazy person’s system for doing so; I'm going to snap a photo of each book I read and store it in a photo album of 2026 reads. It's not much of a goal, I admit, but for me it's a first step to keeping better track of my reading.” - Ally
“I'm keeping my reading goal at 150 books this year, but trying to work in more backlist titles that have been "on my list" for ages! (there is no real list...just overflowing shelves...and stacks...and libro.fm files....and digital downloads...) My sister and I are also trying to reimplement "records and reading nights" at our house (turning off the tv, setting the phones aside, and listening to our record collection while we read).” - Cate
“I set my goal at 120, so I don't have a lot of pressure, but it keeps me steadily reading. The last year or two, I've set a goal to do 12 rereads throughout the year and I've loved making the time to go back and enjoy old favorites, so I'm definitely going to plan to do that again in 2026!” - Kim
“Each year I set a goal of 100 books. The number itself isn't particularly significant, but it keeps me reading regularly and in the end, I feel happiest and healthiest during periods when I'm reading a lot, so the goal serves me in that way!” - Lane
“I plan to read at least 75 books. Like a lot of others, I set a reading goal that I usually easily surpass, but I don’t want to feel pressure! This year, I’m also adding that I want to end the year with fewer unread books than last year on my shelves, so I’m making myself read books I already own (3 so far this year!) and trying not to buy a book unless I’m ready to read it right away.” - Leah
“My reading goal is always 50; I always do almost triple that, but I am too afraid to increase that number. Also, starting this year, I'm trying to read 4 classics.” - Kai
“My (quantity) reading goal for 2025 was 100, but I ended up reading 125 (many were short poetry collections and also audiobooks). However, I don't like the pressure, so I'm leaving it at 100.
I only have a few reading resolutions for 2026. One is that I'm reading through Julia Cameron's "Daily Artist's Way" this year and following the daily prompts. For some time, I've felt icky about consuming more than I create, so I hope this sets me on a path to getting some of the swirling "half -poems" in my head finally out onto paper this year. Another is to allow myself the grace to DNF books as often as I want to. I won't force myself to finish anything that doesn't sit well with my soul.” - Sarah
“My reading goal is 101 books this year. I am more interested in the list than the tally, and my reading resolution this year is to keep up the variety of reads from last year and increase recording the children's books I read. I also re-read at least one book a year that's often a book I read long ago. I'm amazed at how well some of my favorites stand up, and how much my engagement with the text is enriched over time.” - Kathryn
“My goal is to read 60 books - a lower goal than usual, but I want to make sure I'm actually reading for fun rather than to reach a specific number! My main goal is to develop the habit of reading when I feel the urge to scroll on my phone - I really want to lower my screen time and re-instill my instinct to reach for a book rather than my phone!” - Isa
“Similar to Kai, my goal is always 120 for 10 books/month, and I always surpass it, but am too scared to increase. This year I've also committed to bricking my phone every night and reading with my eyeballs before bed!” - Nicole
“For the past few years, I’ve set my reading goal at 50 books. It always feels reasonable - about a book a week - and even though I usually read more, I like keeping it at 50 because it’s not overwhelming. This year, I’m giving myself a couple of smaller goals to tackle along the way - including reading every day, reading at least one book a month from my existing TBR, and adding more nonfiction to the rotation.” - Robyn
“I resolve to read a poem every day (this year it was Mary Oliver; for 2026 I might have a few smaller collections I’ll tackle), and a book of essays or something that I can read weekly or monthly. This started with Margaret Renkl’s Comfort of Crows, and then I vetted What Sheep Think About the Weather, which starts in August and goes for a year so it’s technically not a full year book but I’ll be spending most of 2026 with it.” - Anna
“My reading goal for the past 10 years has been double the number of books as I am years old. This is notably fewer books than I typically read in a year, but it's nice to have attainable goals.” - Mandi
Tips for making and achieving reading goals
Set a realistic goal: You might feel some FOMO after seeing others setting goals to read 100, 200 or more books, but setting a goal higher than you can manage may leave you feeling disappointed or stressed come December 2026. Take a look back at how many books you averaged each week or month in 2025, and pick a number that feels achievable.
Enlist a friend: Whether you crave accountability or need a buddy to talk about all the books you’re reading, including a friend in your goal can be a great way to make sure you’re keeping up on your reading in a way that’s fun and engaging.
Quality over quantity: Rather than focusing on the number of books you’re reading, try setting a goal for the types of books you want to read. Maybe 2026 is the year you read the classics you missed in school, dig in on nonfiction or expand your reading to authors from other backgrounds than you usually gravitate towards!
Break it into manageable chunks: If a whole-year goal feels a bit too overwhelming, try breaking your big goal into smaller pieces. Maybe it's a monthly or weekly reading goal or prioritizing reading by setting a goal to read a little bit each day. No goal is too small 🙂
Keep track: Whatever goal you set, make sure to keep track of what you’re reading. Many of us like using Storygraph for the ease of logging reading and creating custom challenges. If you’re looking to retain more from what you read, an old-school reading journal may be perfect for you. For low-maintenance tracking, try Ally’s method and snap a photo of every book you read or keep a simple list in your notes app.
Whatever your reading goal this year is, we want to hear all about it! Share your goal on Instagram and tag us.